The Steel Eel

As I ran down the walkway with much excitement from riding the roller coaster, I wanted to go again. The sun was shining down on me as I ran, and I was very excited about doing it for a second time. I thought I would not like riding the tall, metal, scary-looking roller coaster, but I loved it so much. I loved the wind in my face and the adrenaline I felt going down the declines. As I ran back to my parents, I contemplated where I should be sitting the front, middle, or back of the rollercoaster. I knew if I ran fast enough I would be able to catch the next ride. Then I made to where my parents were on a bench near a concession stand. I said, “ I’m going again,” and my mom and dad had an awed look on their faces. “So it wasn’t so bad?” my mom said. “It was awesome!” I said. I wanted to stay and tell them about it, but I also wanted to get back in line right away. “Go have fun!” I heard my dad say as I ran off toward the line for the roller coaster. Then I heard my mom in the background saying, “he better not touch his hands on the nasty railings of the rollercoaster.” After I cut through the zig- zag ropes leading up to the line finally, I got to where everywhere was boarding to get on the roller coaster. I felt excitement and confidence while I was waiting in line, which was nothing like the fearful anticipation I felt waiting in line the first time. Waiting to go again, I felt I had just climbed the tallest mountain by conquering my fear.

Just thirty minutes before I was looking at the ride in hesitation for the first time I heard all the people screaming as the ride dropped. My fear of speed and heights caused me to imagine every terrible thing that could happen on this ride. I thought that when we got too high we would fall off, or maybe the roller coaster would go off track on the one of the loops. Then I thought we would be going so fast that we would fly off the track at any moment. I was thinking all this while I stared at this mammoth ride, full loop de loops and big declines. Then I thought I would have to face my fear sometime. I made the decision to confront my fears that day.

The moment when I first approached the roller coaster seemed like one of the slow motion dramatic moments that you see in movies. The line stopped, and I had to wait, which gave me time for my anxiety to build. Frightening thoughts kept running through my head. I listened the people around me in the lie talk about this long drop at the very beginning of the roller coast. “The drop” is like nothing else. When you look down you cannot see the bottom of the track,” said a sunburned middle-aged woman in a NASCAR T-shirt. She was standing next to me, so I asked her, “Is it that big?” She exclaimed, “Are you kidding me? It’s huge!” I felt my heart drop. Then I heard a young guy in a muscle T-shirt say, “All of a sudden its just goes from being still to really fast.” He sipped from his plastic cup and gave me a look that said I was in for something very dangerous. As I began to get closer to the entrance dock, my palms began to sweat like a cup of ice water outside on a hot day. Then the thought went through my mind: what if I die on this ride? I thought for a second about getting out of line and going back to my parents, but then I told myself I must persevere and face my fears. Then I noticed I was up next in line to go on the ride.

Before I knew it I was suspended high up in the air, racing to the top of the incline. At the top, I looked out from the top and could see the entire amusement park, and the people looked small like ants. I tried to spot my mom and dad, but I couldn’t see them. Before I had time to get scared, the roller coaster was racing down to the bottom. I could feel the wind in my face, and it felt like my insides were floating. Up and down the roller coaster sped, and instead of being afraid, I was grinning and laughing. The roller coaster ride was exhilarating, and I was disappointed when it was over. I realized the ride was not as bad as I thought it would be.

“ Hey maybe I should try the Ferris wheel next!” I shouted as I got off the ride.

Riding on a roller coaster taught me how to try new things, even though they may look frightening. These scary things may become a new favorite for me. I cannot get enough of roller coasters now, and I want to go on them when I ever I see one. If had never tried something that seemed scary at first, I would not know how great the experience could be.

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